I have had less time these past few days to be as creative as I would like to (more personal training clients, crafts projects to finish up...) but I did not want to miss the opportunity to show up with something of my own at this event.I had half a can of chestnut puree left from the other day so I looked for a recipe that would allow me to include it in the ingredient list without perturbing the other liquid/dry ingredient ratios.I got inspired by this recipe from Magnolia Bakery and the frosting came about according to what I add in the pantry and refrigerator. I love cream cheese frosting, I love chocolate and I love chestnuts. I did not want the frosting to be too sweet so I reduced the amount of powdered sugar one would normally use and used bittersweet chocolate. It was perfect to balance the smoothness of the chestnut. i kept them on the small side as B. is trying to watch his sweets intake and they made a perfect little bite to have with coffee after dinner.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake papers. Set aside.In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the chestnut puree. Mix well.Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla.Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

For the frosting: in a large mixing bowl, use a spatula to mix well the cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar.Paint the inside of a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip with the melted chocolate. Spoon the cream cheese mixture in the bag and decorate the cupcakes in whirly motion.

End result? I made them on tuesday and they are already gone...talk about self restriction! Bad me!

These look great. I picked up some chestnut puree awhile back and have looked for recipes since. Finally, I have a couple of recipes to try. I'm so excited! I am the one in Clemson that would buy macarons from you if you decided to do something like that. I guess I will have to try making them myself. Sigh...

I saw those swirls and wondered how on earth you'd made them...and then I read the instructions and it sounded so clear! I still bet that if I were to try my hand at these, they wouldn't be anywhere near as pretty :P

Anonymous: I would not use condensed milk because of the consistency. Not sure about evaporated milk. A good subsitute for the buttermilk is to add 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice to one cup of regular milk.

Mmmm. I just made a gluten-free version of these that came out SO delicious... I subbed 4 oz brown rice mix flour and .5 oz coconut flour for the regular flour... and I cut the sugar to 2/3 of a cup. Wow.